Sleepless Nights
by Vaughn 247
Summary: Another short story...not Post-ATY (surprise surprise!!)


[U]Sleepless Nights[/U]  
  
"What's my counter mission?" Sydney asked, from her spot on the wooden crate.  
  
"Just exchange this," I held up a small disk in a plastic bag with the word "COPY" written on it in a Sharpie marker, "With the real thing."  
  
"And give it to you," Sydney said, taking the words right out of my mouth.  
  
I nodded. "It's the exact copy."  
  
As she got off the crate, I handed the disk to her.  
  
"I'll call when I get back," Sydney said, walking towards the gate. Her heels clicked against the cold cement floor. It never ceases to amaze me, how she could walk and run in heels. Maybe SD-6 teaches their female agents how to do that too.basic training?  
  
"All right," I replied. "Good luck, and be careful."  
  
She smiled that lovely smile, and slipped off into the darkness, leaving me to lock up. It sounds funny.lock up.sounds like this old dumpy warehouse is a restaurant or something.  
  
--  
  
It's already ten thirty. I couldn't sleep. I keep trying to go to sleep early, because I'm always late to work.but I always get like this whenever Sydney's on a mission. I can't go to sleep until I know she's back home, safe and sound.  
  
I got out of my warm bed, and headed towards the kitchen for some water. It's freezing in my house. I longed to jump back into my bed, but decided against it. You couldn't sleep anyway, I told myself. Walking into the kitchen in my cotton pajama pants and a white T-shirt, I grabbed a glass from the dishwasher and filled it with Poland Spring water. Ever since my mom told me what was really coming out of the faucets, all that tainted water, I've been buying Poland Spring water by the gallons.  
  
With my glass in hand, I settled on my living room couch. The old thing has been through everything. Three moves, coffee burns, food stains (tomato sauce, salad dressing, Chinese take-out sauce.the soy sauce, milk, orange juice, you name it), a couple of beatings (I just needed to get my anger out, and after leaning what punching the wall can do to you.), and basically being flattened by Weiss. He likes to jump on it whenever he comes over. And I do mean jump. He pounces on it like it's some enticing woman beckoning to him.  
  
I've been meaning to buy a new couch, with my mom's pestering and all, but I just never found the time. Maybe later, when Sydney's back from her mission.  
  
I grabbed the remote off the table, and pressed the power button. Nothing happened. Damn it. Pressed it again, still nothing. Cursing, I remembered it was a sticky button. This stupid thing was old too. The "Power" button and the "1" button keep sticking, and I have to press down on them for five seconds before they work. Or sometimes they work when I poke them really hard.that is, if they don't sink down to the bottom. Then I have to take out a pen or something sharp, and poke the soft cushioning back up. Why don't I just press the up or down button to change the channels? That would save me from wasting my time, and from releasing my anger in the form of curses and expletives.  
  
Finally, the screen popped up. News on every channel. News was fine, except I've got enough "reality" every day at work. I don't need anymore. But I just don't understand why they announce over the television that the policemen are looking for some criminal in whatever vicinity. It's just stupid. The criminal would know, he if was watching the news, and he'd run. All right, maybe I'm just getting too serious, I sighed, rubbing my temples with my fingers. Didn't they use to have TV shows on at ten? Law and Order or something? ER? Ah.whatever, I thought, turning the TV off.  
  
I just sat there, with my glass of water in hand, looking out into space. Oh God.in the words of my college friends, I'm so whipped. But the thing is, she doesn't even know it. It's not my problem I get worried about her whenever she's on her SD-6 missions. Hell, I even worry about her when she's back here, in LA. Well, just when she's inside SD-6.in the hands of Sloane.  
  
Then the phone rang. I leaned over the couch and picked it up before it rang a second time.  
  
"Hello?" I asked, hoping it was Sydney.  
  
"Hey man, what's up?"  
  
"Eric."  
  
"Hey, you're not happy to hear from me? I thought you would be," he replied in a sad voice.  
  
"What do you want?" I half-laughed.  
  
"Nothing. Still worrying about your agent?" he joked.  
  
"She's not "my agent." Her name's Sydney, ya know," I responded, taking a sip of water.  
  
"I know. But I like calling her that. So I will," he answered, sounding like a child.  
  
I rolled my eyes slightly, and sighed in exasperation. "I already said this, but what do you want?"  
  
"To keep you company until she gets back."  
  
"It's all right. She could be calling right now, but you're holding up the line," I said.  
  
"But -" he started.  
  
I ended the conversation. By pressing the "TALK" button.  
  
True to my word, the phone rang a second later.  
  
"Hello?" I asked hopefully. But then.it could still be Weiss calling back to yell at me for hanging up on him.  
  
".Joey's Pizza?"  
  
"Sorry, wrong number," I replied. Nope, definitely not Weiss. It was a female voice. Sydney.  
  
I practically jogged to my room to change my clothes. I threw on a pair of worn jeans and my trench coat, and headed out the door.  
  
It took me exactly ten minutes to get to the warehouse. Sydney's car was already there.  
  
"Hey," I smiled, walking up behind her.  
  
"Oh, hi," she smiled back, turning around so she was facing me.  
  
"How did it go?"  
  
"Fine," she replied. "No bruises or anything. Here's the disk."  
  
I took the small blue disk from her, and placed it in my pocket. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem," she yawned.  
  
"Well, you'd better go get some sleep. You look pretty tired," I observed, stuffing my hands into my coat pocket.  
  
"Yeah, that's what happens when you're on a plane for so long.and when you can't eat the food. It's disgusting. You look a little tired yourself. Did I wake you?"  
  
"No. I was up."  
  
"OK then.I'll see you," Sydney said, turning to leave.  
  
"Yeah, see you."  
  
--  
  
I hung my coat up by the door, and went to bed. She was back home, safe and sound...  
  
I could go to sleep now. 


End file.
